Two Kinds of Pain At Once
by Spinda Hater Ninety Seven
Summary: Ash has ripped his stitches, and his girlfriend just broke up with him! How does he survive? You'll have to read this story arc to find out!
1. Chapter 1

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Dawn said.

"Yeah, it's almost as beautiful as Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny!!" Brock exclaimed.

"What do you think, Ash?"

"I have to agree, it is- uh oh…," Ash mumbled. He felt a small tear on his left side. _Crap!_ He thought. _My stitches! I really hope that it's not bad… I'm going to kill Troy and Alyssa for daring me to climb up a dang tree and jump out for no reason…_

"What's wrong, Ash?" Dawn asked in a concerned tone.

"Oh, it's nothing." They had stopped when Ash realized his stitches had torn a little, and now they started walking again. When Ash put weight on his left side, he winced a little, and they stopped again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Brock asked.

"I'm fine." They started once again, and this time, Ash was careful not to let the pain show. Unfortunately, the tear in the stitches made him limp a little, and Brock and Dawn were quick at noticing it. Brock ran over quick and held onto Ash to give him support.

"Ash, if you're limping, I doubt you're okay."

"Stupid stitches," Ash said under his breath.

"Stitches?!" Brock exclaimed.

"Crap."

"Ash, why do you have stitches?" Dawn asked.

"My friends. They kind of dared me to jump out of a tree for no reason."

"Why?"

"Because they're idiots and have no common sense."

"How long have you had them?"

Ash thought for a moment, then replied to Brock's question. "About a week, now."

"Then why are you limping now?"

"I think I might have torn one by accident. Heh heh…"

"Should we check it out?"

"I think it'll be okay for now."

"I think we should check it out."

Brock had Ash sit down and take off his shirt. Dawn blushed at the sight. Ash saw her blush and blushed in return. They looked at each other for a while until Brock exclaimed "Oh my gosh! Ash, you ripped way more than one!"

"What do you- holy crap!!!" All sixteen stitches had been torn a little, and his side was bleeding again. "Dang it!!"

"Here, I know what we should do," Brock informed. He took off his pack and found a long bandage. He wrapped it around Ash's side and helped him up to get to the Pokemon Center.

"Well, your stitches are back to normal, just a little weak," Nurse Joy informed as Ash put his shirt back on, ending the blushing between him and Dawn. "You should probably take it easy until you're positive that they're strong enough."

"Okay, thanks," Ash replied.

"Wow, Nurse Joy!! That was amazing!!" Brock flirted. "I really hope we can spend more- Augh!" His flirting was stopped short by Croagunk's Poison Jab.

Suddenly, they heard a beeping noise, and Ash smiled a little. "Kyndra!" He exclaimed. "She texted me!!" He pulled out a cell phone and opened it to read the text:

Ash,

I'm srry. I cant do this. Im brakin up with u. I like cody 2, except mor than u. Im srry.

-Kyndra

Ash had to hold back tears. She actually left him, and for their grade's flirter. _This can't be happening,_ he thought. _This has to be a dream. It has to! _

"Ash? Are you okay?" Dawn asked.

He slowly nodded in reply. "I think I'm going to go up stairs…" He got up and slowly walked out of the room, climbed up the stairs, and sat at the top. He finally gave in to an urge he'd had all day:

"I can never tell them

What happened long ago

The truth about my past is something they should never know

I can never tell her

My feelings deep inside

The truth within my heart is something I must always hide

Their whole lives lie ahead, so much training to be done

And as their best friend, I'll protect

The future from my friends

Her love is overwhelming, and it's like I'd like to be

But she shares it all with Pokemon

There's just no room for me

I've got a secret

It tears up my soul

I'm keeping it hidden

Seeing it's whole

I can't tell the truth

'Cause they might turn away

So I'll keep it secret

It's better that way

Each end's a new beginning

Every darkness has its dawn

Tears can't fall forever

So now I must move on

My hopes are still the same for the man I'd like to be

And I will make those dreams come true

Just you wait and see

I've got a secret

There's no turning back

It tears up my soul

There's no giving up

I'm keeping it hidden

Live still goes on

Seeing it's whole

No matter how tough

I can't tell the truth

I'm going to miss you

'Cause they might turn away

More and more each day

So I'll keep this secret

But I'll keep on going

It's better that way."

Ash finished the song, tears falling onto the floor. "What have I done?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Ash, are you sure you want to travel?" Dawn asked.

"Positive. I'll be fine," Ash informed in reply. They were quiet for a moment, then Brock decided to ask what had been bugging him all day.

"Hey, what was that text from your friend about, anyway?" He asked. Ash stopped walking and sighed.

"You'll be able to guess when I tell you that she's my-" His answer was stopped short when they heard a huge crack. Brock saw the ground around Ash shift a bit, then it fell off the cliff with Ash still on it.

"Ash!" Brock was quick to jump over and grab Ash's hand so that he didn't fall. "Ash, hold on!!"

Ash looked at Brock, the usual fear in his eyes (Brock had gotten so used to seeing it if Ash was about to fall) not there. "Brock, I… don't think that I can get myself to do that…"

"What do you mean?" Brock asked urgently. Ash looked away and let his hand slip a bit. Brock gasped and gripped it tighter. Ash looked at them, and Brock saw the sadness in his eyes as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Then he let go.

"Ash!!!" Brock yelled. The cliff was dangerously high, but Ash thankfully landed in a river that Brock hadn't noticed until then. Brock and Dawn ran to the bottom of the cliff to find him.

_This can't be happening, _Brock thought. _Ash wouldn't kill himself on purpose, would he? …No. There's no way. It must have been that text! What the heck did it say? I'll ask him when we find him… If he's alive, that is. _The thought sent shivers down Brock's spine. Could that thought be true? The cliff was really high… Brock shoved the thought out of his mind quickly. By then, they had reached the bottom of the cliff. Brock was the first to speak: "Ash!"

"Ash, where are you?"

"Please answer us!"

"Ash!"

After a while of calling for Ash and Brock thinking of horrifying things, Dawn suddenly gasped. "Ash!" She ran over to the side of the river. Brock turned to see what she saw.

It was Ash!

Brock ran over and realized that Ash was unconscious. He checked his pulse, just to be safe, and breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank God…_ He thought.

"Come on," He said after convincing himself that Ash was alive. "We should get him some help."

"Right." Dawn stood up, and Brock followed after he picked Ash up. They ran in the direction of the Pokemon Center as Brock thought to Ash,_ Don't worry, Ash, you'll be okay. I promise, we'll get you to the Pokemon Center, and you'll get better. Then, we can travel again, and you'll be fine from then on. I promise._

Now he needed to convince himself of that.


End file.
